In recent years, there has been dramatic increase in environmental awareness by the general population. As a result, more people are recycling today than ever before.
Most cities are implementing some type of program to collect recyclable materials from their residents. The residents in turn have to abide by the restrictions of the cities' programs which in most cases will call for "source separation" (separating out the recyclable materials at the point from which they are generated).
In response to the environmental concerns of the public, a variety of new products have been introduced. The proposed ideas for source separation include the following examples:
a. Plastic box container--A resident separates the recyclable materials in plastic or paper bags and puts the bags in the container. This option puts most of the responsibility for separating the materials in the resident's hands and the resident must find space to set up different bags around the house. The container is only a means by which the recyclable materials are taken to the curbside for pickup by the city and does not assist in the actual separation process. PA1 b. Tubular frames--This approach consists of a network of plastic tubes that connect together to make a rectangular or square frame. In some cases, the rectangular frame is subdivided into thirds or fourths producing smaller frames within the larger one. Plastic bags may be hung with clips on the frame, resulting in separate compartments. While this device addresses the separation issue, the resident is still required to find sufficient space to locate the structure, and the apparatus can be relatively expensive to manufacture. PA1 c. Trash organizer--This method, e.g., illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,638, consists of a plastic extendable divider placed across the opening of a trash can, thus dividing the can into two compartments. As most recycling programs require recyclable materials to be separated into at least three categories (plastic, glass, aluminum), this application is limited in its versatility. Furthermore, the device requires tools for installation. PA1 d. Rigid Sub-Compartments--This concept, depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,253, involves the use of a custom designed outer container adapted to allow several smaller, rigid "sleeves" to be inserted within its walls, thereby dividing the larger container into several sub-compartments. To remove the recyclable materials, the entire container is disassembled by removing the sleeves. The recyclable material is then dumped out of the container. This device is rather costly and is not very flexible. PA1 e. Crowns or lids--Devices that fit in this catagory (such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,900) typically include a fixture that fits upon the top circumferential rim of the trash can. The fixtures are pre-configured to divide the trash can into predetermined sections through a plurality of fixed arms. Trash cans have different sized rims, however, and, as this device is not adjustable, the fixtures must be custom made for each different size and configuration of trash can, a costly prospect. In addition, the fixture does not allow the size of the compartments to adjust to the consumer's specific accumulation of the various recyclable items. Furthermore, the fixture typcially inhibits the use of the trash can's lid.
A need exists, therefore, for a trash receptacle divider that is inexpensive and easy to use, is versatile enough to allow the consumer to adjust the number of sections produced in the trash receptacle and the size of the individual sections, and which also fits most commonly found household trash cans.